Sophos: 64 Percent of People Find Cloud Storage Services 'Scary'

...but that isn't keeping 45 percent of them from using the services at work.

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Security firm Sophos recently polled 214 conference attendees at Infosec Europe and found that while 64 percent of respondents thought cloud storage services like Dropbox are "scary," 45 percent are using the services at work.

"With that level of awareness, it's obvious that people -- at least, those people who attend Infosec conferences -- understand the risks of consumer cloud services," writes Sophos' Lisa Vaas. "But in spite of that understanding, businesses are failing to keep a lid on their employees' use of the services."

"Speaking at the event, Julian Jeffery, head of policy and corporate reporting at Telefonica, said security teams should find ways to allow consumer cloud storage into the corporate network; he said security couldn't continue to be the 'no guys' with such services, but needed to be open with employees and come to a compromise," SC Magazine reports.

The poll also found that 32 percent of respondents are allowed to use their own mobile devices at work, and their IT department aren't controlling usage or implementing ruling on securing those devices. "Alex Rabbetts, managing director of Migration Solutions, recently warned employers that they are taking 'a very large risk' by allowing their staff to use their own devices at work," BCS reports.

In a similar vein, 49 percent of respondents said their workplace Wi-Fi networks are protected with a single password or a small number of passswords.

"The common thread of all the poll's findings: the workplace is a little wild and wooly," Vaas writes. "It's up to management, the IT department and all you information security people to domesticate it."